GM Wesley So has taken the lead in his match against GM Levon Aronian in The American Cup 2026 Grand Final. It was an Italian Opening gone wrong for the Armenian-American, and So won a remarkably smooth game. Aronian must win the next game on demand if he’s to keep the match alive.
In The Women’s American Cup 2026, IM Carissa Yip and IM Alice Lee remain deadlocked after a hard-fought draw. Both players had chances—Yip was better out of the opening, but Lee took over in the late middlegame.Â
Day nine, featuring the second classical game of the Grand Finals and potential tiebreaks, will be on Wednesday, March 11, starting at 1:10 p.m. ET / 18:10 CET / 11:40 p.m. IST.
Grand Finals:
Open Grand Final:Â So ‘Shocked’ With A Win
So 1-0 Aronian
“I’m very shocked with the win today,” said So after the game. “I thought we’d make two draws and go to the playoffs!” Rather than focus on his own role in the victory, So also chalked it up to Aronian’s fatigue from the long event, saying:
I think Levon is very tired from the playoffs, tiebreaks, that he had to play. They take a lot on your mental energy… he was very tired today. You can see it from his play because it’s not like I played anything special.
So’s 6.Nbd2Â in the Italian, he explained, was designed to play against an early …d5 from Black. When that move transpired on the board, So wondered what Aronian might have prepared. It turns out that he might have mixed up his preparation because he ran into trouble quickly.
By the time So played 17.d4!, it was clear that White had seized the initiative.
The attack was clinical, and So had a winning advantage by move 22. Four moves later, he was up a whole piece. The game lasted another 16 moves, but the result was never in doubt from there—an incredibly convincing first game from So. GM Rafael Leitao analyzes the Game of the Day below.
So is in a great position to win his first title at The American Cup, after finishing as runner-up in 2023 and 2024. Even if he loses the classical game on Wednesday, the match will go to blitz tiebreaks. If he loses those, Aronian—because he’s coming from the Elimination Bracket—will still have to beat him in a second match on Thursday in the Grand Final Reset. That match, if it’s played, will be two rapid games.
“Is the gameplan to draw tomorrow?” asked GM Maurice Ashley. “The plan is to play good chess,” responded So, also quipping, “and hopefully he’s not in his best form!”
Hopefully he’s not in his best form!
—Wesley So
Women’s Grand Final: Fighting Draw
Yip ½-½ Lee
We saw what Yip called “a big fight,” which she hoped “was fun for you guys.” She had gained a large, or winning, advantage out of the opening, but the same could be said for Lee later in the game. If anything, it was Lee who missed a direct tactic that could have won on the spot, 38…Nxg2!
Interestingly, in another Italian, Yip’s 18.d4! was reminiscent of the pawn break played in the other match, and it also led to an advantage.
The game turned, however, when Yip considered the very strong 22.f3!, but decided to include the move 22.h4 first. Lee grabbed it, unexpectedly, and it was suddenly Black who took over. The clearest miss was the temporary knight sacrifice on move 38, but the game ended in a “fair” outcome for both players, a draw.
In this match, it’s Lee who has two lives. Even if Yip wins the match on Wednesday, they will play a rematch with rapid games on Thursday. Lee said, as a preview of coming attractions, “Of course, I would like to win, but I will just play the game and see how it goes.”
How To Review
The American Cup 2026, which takes place from March 3 to 12 in St. Louis, brings together the United States’ strongest players to battle in a high-stakes double-elimination knockout bracket across classical and rapid time controls. There is an open tournament and a women’s tournament, with the two time controls of 90+30 and 25+10 (with 3+2 blitz and potential armageddon as tiebreakers). The prize fund is $250,000 in the open and $150,000 in the women’s.
Previous coverage:
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- Day 7: Aronian, Yip Advance To Grand Finals Vs. Wesley So, Lee
- Day 6: Wesley So, Alice Lee Reach Grand Finals
- Day 5: Caruana Wins Game 1 Vs. Wesley So; Dominguez, Sevian, Tang, Li Eliminated
- Day 4: So Vs. Caruana, Yip Vs. Lee In Champions Finals
- Day 3: Robson, Mishra, Krush, Zatonskih Eliminated On Day 3
- Day 2: Liang Beats Aronian, Tang Reverses Match Vs. Krush In Early Upsets
- Day 1: Caruana Scores 1st Win In Open; Krush, Lee Lead In Women’s